A little while ago I posted the Creative Spark documentary Lynda shot here in my studio, introducing me and my work. Well, while the crew was here (and seeing my silly passion for illustrating wrestlers) they decided to shoot another piece focusing on my process. So here’s the result, the ‘Start to Finish’ of my Undertaker illustration.

Beware: I say “aesthetic” around 40 times in the first 2 minutes. My limited vocabulary really shines.

This is the first time I let anyone step into my space to record my process. I’ve had people request Signalnoise tutorials a lot over the years, but I don’t believe in teaching through “Push this button, now push that button” methods. So when Lynda brought up the idea of filming me in action, it was a great opportunity to discuss the nuts and bolts of my process while not being a typical “paint by numbers” thing. I’m a fundamentals guy, so you’ll see that there aren’t any fancy tricks or secret ingredients in my work.

This is the kind of stuff I do by myself in my office… just making it up as I go along. So it’s no lie when I say it’s weird for me to see this video out there. But I hope you enjoy getting a glimpse into my process, and it encourages you to experiment with your own art and design techniques.

The StarKade Universe continues to grow. 2014 marks the 30th anniversary of everyone’s favourite turtles, so this Cyber Monday brings with it the launch of a new little series of prints… Half-Shells!

This series encourages you to “Collect ‘em all”. Each turtle print will be released along side a mystery bad guy. Which bad guy will it be? That evil surprise will be waiting for in your mailbox. This little set includes 2 new character prints, both of which have an edition of 30 and are measured at 5″ x 5″.

The StarKade Series is printed on Museo Textured Rag 285 gsm by the fine people at Static Medium, Los Angeles. All prints are lovingly hand-signed, numbered, packed and shipped by James White out of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

This first StarKade: Half-Shells will be available to pre-order on Cyber Monday… December 2nd at 1pm EST in The Signalnoise Store. Sets are $20. Other turtles sold separately… in the future. Don’t change that channel.

Please note: This is a pre-order. All Half-Shells orders will be shipped in early January.

This collection includes the 4 character prints as seen above, all of which have an edition of 30 and are measured at 5″ x 5″. The StarKade Series is printed on Museo Textured Rag 285 gsm by the fine folks at Static Medium, LA. All hand-signed and numbered. Incidentally, the pack you can win is set 29/30.

I won’t get into the details of the giveaway here, but you can head over to the Nerdlocker post for the full scoop. While you’re at it, check out the other killer prizes they have up for grabs by a slew of talented folk. Several of which are my friends and colleagues. Tune into Nerdlocker on Facebook and Twitter all day Friday to catch the fun.

A little while back the mighty Lynda.com sent a film crew to parachute into Dartmouth, Nova Scotia to shoot a documentary on me and my work. We got to the bottom of some heavy issues, talked about growing up, discussed a pile of art and played with some toys. We hung out in my home studio and even ventured them around my hometown a bit to show them some Dartmouth sights.

Absolutely thrilled that Lynda, one of the biggest damn names in our industry, came to my little town to hang out. You can watch the FULL DOCUMENTARY via the Vimeo movie above. Enjoy!

After a sold-out Series 1 and Masters Series, I’m excited to announce the upcoming release of StarKade: Series 2… now with attitude.

This collection includes 5 new character prints, all of which have an edition of 50 and are measured at 5″ x 5″. Those who grab complete sets will have a chance at getting 1 of 10 mystery prints, randomly inserted into orders. Also, one lucky order will be receiving a Golden Ticket, redeemable for a 1/1 custom wrestler print of your choice.

The StarKade Series is printed on Museo Textured Rag 285 gsm by the fine people at Static Medium, Los Angeles. All prints are lovingly hand-signed, numbered, packed and shipped by James White out of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Mark your calendars! StarKade: Series 2 will be available on Monday, November 25th at 1pm EST in The Signalnoise Store. Sets are $45 and individual prints are $10 each.

Note: Those on the Signalnoise Email List got this info delivered to their inbox a day earlier than everyone else. Want the scoop next time? Subscribe to the list using the little box over in the sidebar.

Announcing the StarKade: Masters Series, my contribution to the HAS BROS Art Show, opening this weekend at The Dart Gallery in my hometown of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The show is based around toys from the 1980s, and was the perfect opportunity to illustrate some of my favourites and expand the StarKade universe.

This collection includes the 4 character prints as seen above, all of which have an edition of 30 and are measured at 5″ x 5″. As a bonus, you have the opportunity at getting 1 of 10 mystery print randomly inserted into sets. The StarKade Series is printed on Museo Textured Rag 285 gsm. All hand-signed and numbered.

For local customersStarKade: Masters Series prints will go onsale Saturday, November 9th at The Dart Gallery for $35. 127A Portland Street, Dartmouth.

For online customersStarKade: Masters Series will be available on Tuesday, November 12th at 1pm EST in my online store for $35.

Please note, if you are local to the Halifax Regional Municipality, please drop by The Dart Gallery if you are interested in purchasing a set. The collections available online are for customers from abroad only, so local orders will be turned away in support of the art gallery. Please respect this one small rule and we’ll get along fine.

For the second year in a row, I was asked by the folks behind the Playing Arts card set to contribute a design to their fantastic project. This is an intimidating matter since that set is brimming with talent and top-shelf work. They even posted a little interview with me.

Last year I contributed a little Tyler Durden ditty, but this year I wanted to play with the actual form of the club… with an 80s spin (of course, right?). So I set up the laptop in my hotel room in Phoenix and got to work. The result is what you see above. I think my pal Sara Blake said she sees some boobs in there, which made me laugh. Seen above was my initial vector work, and the helmet photo that inspired the entire style. I really wanted that slick polish and deep hues.

Absolutely honoured to have been interviewed by the crack team at Adobe Inspire Magazine, and featured in this month’s edition. Having been a user and fan since the mid-90s, it was incredible to be called up by the very people who created the programs I use every day. I was on a trip to Toronto when we set up the call, so I did the interview in my hotel room like some kinda wannabe bigshot.

Not only that, but they wanted me to design the cover for the issue. When they said I could do whatever I wanted, I blurted out “I wanna put a panther on it!”. They were onboard, and you can see the final illustration above. All kinds of fun making that thing.